Ed Day: Train stop parking perk a first step. But...

Metro-North's plan to slash parking fees at stations in Rockland and Orange counties - to $20 a year for permit spaces - is a nice gesture, says Rockland County Executive Ed Day.

But it's only one step the railroad could take in giving his county residents a fair deal, he said.

The parking benefit, a one-year tryout to draw more customers to the railroad, comes as part of the MTA's proposed $14.2 billion budget for 2015, announced this week.

Rockland leaders have long complained of a "value gap" between the service there and in areas such as Westchester. Riders coming from west of the Hudson River do not have that coveted one-seat ride into Manhattan, but must transfer.

Here's Day's full statement:

"The MTA's move to cut parking fees in Rockland is an important first step toward correcting a totally unfair value gap. For years, our residents have paid far in excess of the level of service received from the authority, only receiving about 50 cents in value for each dollar conveyed. I am hopeful that Chairman (Thomas) Prendergast and the MTA Board will continue to find ways to lessen the impact of the proposed 4% fare and toll hikes on our communities."

The MTA's budget, which must be adopted by the end of the year, does not make changes to proposed 4 percent fare and toll hikes coming next year and in 2017.